The most dangerous one is the deer with two horns on its chest. If a monk practises metta they tend to be attractive to these two-horned deer, and monks can be killed or seriously injured if they let them get too close.

Wind wrote:By wild animals, I mean the dangerous man-eating kind like bears, tigers, mountain lions, or big poisonous snakes. How do forest monks deal with them since they are more expose to them?

Oh my!

Most of what you've listed follows under "avoiding" below. Metta may help, though I wouldn't do it at the expense of skillful action like staying out of dangerous areas. (Meditating in a snake pit may not be advisable). Getting injured or killed is an occupational hazard. It happens.

"[4] And what are the fermentations to be abandoned by tolerating? There is the case where a monk, reflecting appropriately, endures. He tolerates cold, heat, hunger, & thirst; the touch of flies, mosquitoes, wind, sun, & reptiles; ill-spoken, unwelcome words & bodily feelings that, when they arise, are painful, racking, sharp, piercing, disagreeable, displeasing, & menacing to life. The fermentations, vexation, or fever that would arise if he were not to tolerate these things do not arise for him when he tolerates them. These are called the fermentations to be abandoned by tolerating.

"[5] And what are the fermentations to be abandoned by avoiding? There is the case where a monk, reflecting appropriately, avoids a wild elephant, a wild horse, a wild bull, a wild dog, a snake, a stump, a bramble patch, a chasm, a cliff, a cesspool, an open sewer. Reflecting appropriately, he avoids sitting in the sorts of unsuitable seats, wandering to the sorts of unsuitable habitats, and associating with the sorts of bad friends that would make his knowledgeable friends in the holy life suspect him of evil conduct. The fermentations, vexation, or fever that would arise if he were not to avoid these things do not arise for him when he avoids them. These are called the fermentations to be abandoned by avoiding.

chownah wrote:Do you have a reference to support your statement that eating certain kinds of meat attracts certain predators?chownah

"One should not consume human flesh. Whoever should do so: a grave offense. And one should not consume meat without having reflected on it (on what it is). Whoever should do so: an offense of wrong doing." — Mv.VI.23.9

"One should not knowingly consume meat killed on purpose (for a bhikkhu). Whoever should consume it: an offense of wrong doing. I allow fish and meat that is pure in three respects: One has not seen, heard, or suspected (that it was killed on purpose for a bhikkhu)." — Mv.VI.31.14

David N. Snyder wrote:I think the explanation was in the Commentaries, that it is to prevent those predators from being attracted to that smell.

It is in the Vinaya Culavagga Pali text. I know you can read some Pāli so I reproduce the entire passage below.

The reason for not eating human flesh is told in the story of Suppiyā — because it would not lead to the arising of faith in those who have none, or the growth of faith in those who have only a little. To eat human flesh is a grave offence.

The reasons given for proscribing the ten kinds of meat (human, elephant, horse, dog, snake, lion, tiger, leopard, bear, hyena) are different. To eat the other nine kinds of flesh is an offence of wrong-doing.

Elephant and horse meat was proscribed because they were royal animals, and the people criticised the monks for eating their flesh

Dog meat was considered disgusting

Snake meat was proscribed after the king of nāgas approached bhikkhus and warned them that some nāgas were lacking in faith and would harm them.

The meat of lions, tigers, leopards, bears, and hyenas was proscribed because those animals killed bhikkhus, having smelt the flesh they had eaten

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:The most dangerous one is the deer with two horns on its chest. If a monk practises metta they tend to be attractive to these two-horned deer, and monks can be killed or seriously injured if they let them get too close.

สัพเพ สัตตา สุขีตา โหนตุ

the mountain may be heavy in and of itself, but if you're not trying to carry it it's not heavy to you- Ajaan Suwat

I've known a few monks who are quite fearless in the face of snakes, and that includes some really poisonous ones too. In particular, one young Thai bhikkhu that I knew: When snakes would come into the seminary compound in Taiwan, he would just go and pick them up, and take them out again. I also have my own little story, when I removed a rather small looking snake from the Vihara. Only after taking it outside and showing it to someone else, was I informed that it was a spitting cobra (a "rinkel", as identified by the black and white "ring" markings around the hood). About two months before, a larger spitting cobra had attacked a dog in the area, nearly blinding it (they spit venom into the eyes, first). I wasn't afraid at the time, and the snake didn't seem aggressive toward me either. Animals, including snakes, are living beings too. We should be kind to them, and not hurt them.

My recently moved Blog, containing some of my writings on the Buddha Dhamma, as well as a number of translations from classical Buddhist texts and modern authors, liturgy, etc.: Huifeng's Prajnacara Blog.

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:The most dangerous one is the deer with two horns on its chest. If a monk practises metta they tend to be attractive to these two-horned deer, and monks can be killed or seriously injured if they let them get too close.

Bhikkhu Pesala wrote:The most dangerous one is the deer with two horns on its chest. If a monk practises metta they tend to be attractive to these two-horned deer, and monks can be killed or seriously injured if they let them get too close.